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Edward Harrison Norton (born August 18, 1969) is a two-time Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe-winning American film actor and director. His acting credits include roles in the films Primal Fear, The Illusionist, American History X, Fight Club, The Incredible Hulk and a small, albeit much praised role in Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven. A consistently first-rate actor who has impressed audiences and critics alike in a disparate array of roles since his film debut, Edward Norton hit the big screen with a scene-stealing turn in 1996's legal thriller "Primal Fear". Remarkably thoughtful and articulate, the Yale educated Norton shied away from disclosing personal information to the press, but when discussing his work proved a fascinating interview subject. His renowned reticence served his debut film well, fooling the casting agents for "Primal Fear" and landing the role of the schizoid Southerner by affecting an accent (reportedly perfected by repeated viewings of 1980's "Coal Miner's Daughter") and inventing a Kentucky birthplace. An unknown to movie audiences, the young actor's anonymity made his performance as the altar boy turned killer all the more riveting and believable. His shining work in the compelling if uneven film earned him a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination. That same year, he gave two other acclaimed supporting performances portraying attorneys. In Woody Allen's curious musical "Everyone Says I Love You", Norton was featured as Drew Barrymore's prepster love interest. The appealing actor proved a competent comedic actor, even pulling off his unexpected singing quite well. Norton rounded out the year with another skillful performance as lawyer Alan Isaacman in Milos Forman's biopic "The People vs. Larry Flynt". Sincere and likable in this film in what may be described as a slightly innocuous role, his next work would be a definite departure. Edward Norton was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Columbia, Maryland. His mother, Robin (née Rouse), an English teacher, died of a brain tumor in 1997; his father, Edward James Norton, Jr., is an environmental lawyer and conservation advocate working in Asia, as well as a former federal prosecutor under the Carter administration. His maternal grandfather was the developer James W. Rouse (also see The Rouse Company), who designed the city of Columbia, Maryland (where Norton grew up), helped develop Baltimore's Inner Harbor, Norfolk's Waterside Festival Marketplace, and Boston's Quincy Market, as well as co-founded the Enterprise Foundation with Norton's maternal step grandmother, Patricia. Norton has two younger siblings; his sister, Molly, and his brother, Jim, with whom he has collaborated professionally. From 1981 to 1985, along with his brother, he attended Pasquaney, a camp in Hebron New Hampshire. There he won the acting cup in 1984 and later returned to the camp's council for two years, directing theater. He continues to visit this camp and maintains close connections with it. Norton graduated from Wilde Lake High School in 1987. He attended Yale University, where he gained experience in university theater productions. He acted alongside fellow Yale students Ron Livingston and Paul Giamatti. He graduated in 1991 with a BA in History. Following graduation, Norton worked in Osaka, Japan, consulting for his grandfather's company, Enterprise Foundation. He also appeared in an ESL textbook, Only in America, used by Nova, a major English language school. After adding 30 pounds of sculpted muscle to his formerly reed-like frame and shearing off his medium brown hair, Norton transformed his boy next door look into a monstrous skinhead powerhouse for his starring debut as a brilliant and startlingly violent white supremacist in the controversy plagued "American History X" (1998). Playing Derek Vinyard, a dynamic young leader of a neo-Nazi movement, Norton took the viewer on a journey through the character's evil acts, his realization and regret, and his horror that the legacy of his desperate hate had been passed on to an adoring younger brother (Edward Furlong). Norton uncovered a character who, despite his deplorable rhetoric and shocking actions, is more human than evil, an even scarier force to comprehend. The buzz surrounding the film (centered on the bizarre antics of fledgling feature director Tony Kaye) threatened to overshadow the power of Norton's performance. Demanding that his name be taken off of the credits, and accusing Norton of editing the film to serve his own narcissistic purposes, Kaye, a British commercial director and self-described 'hype artist', may have tainted the film's reception, but his protestations were unable to drown out Norton's undeniable accomplishment in a performance that earned his second Oscar nomination, this time in the Best Actor race. Also in 1998, Norton turned in another in a series of excellent performances, as Worm, the aptly named slimy poker ace in "Rounders". Fresh out of prison and down on his luck, Worm enlists the help of a friend (Matt Damon) who has given up the underground gambling life to attend law school. Norton's fast-talking con man all but takes over the movie, injecting plenty of spark into John Dahl's visually arresting but somewhat predictable atmospheric piece. Next up for Norton was the drama "Fight Club" (1999), starring alongside Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter in a strange tale of self-help group dependence and underground violent secret societies. Edward Norton moved to New York City and began his acting career in Off-Broadway theater. Moving into film, Norton played a series of dark, grotesque characters, quickly launching him into the spotlight, beginning with 1996's Primal Fear. In the film, he took on the role of Aaron Stampler, a deeply disturbed young man accused of a brutal murder, for which he won a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. In 1998, his portrayal of a reformed neo-Nazi in American History X earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and his role as a card shark pitted him opposite Matt Damon in 1998's poker-playing hit Rounders. He packed on 30 pounds (15 kg) of muscle for his role in American History X but did not maintain the physique after production. One of his more widely known roles is his performance in the adaptation of the cult novel Fight Club by director David Fincher, which co-starred Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter, has been credited as a factor in expanding Norton's fan base. While now well-known for his film work, Norton started out with a prestigious stage career that began in his childhood, making his professional debut at age eight in a dinner theater production of "Annie Get Your Gun". Work in "Pippin", "Peter Pan" and "Godspell" followed. While attending Yale as a history major, Norton also performed on the university's stage. A move to New York led to some off-off-Broadway work and he later caught the attention of legendary playwright Edward Albee, who was so impressed with the young actor that he cast him in a sought after role in the premiere of his play "Fragments" in 1994. Engaging and uniquely well-spoken, displaying little of the Hollywood attitude that all-too-often accompanies actors capable of his intensity, Norton has in fact consistently praised the actors and directors with whom he has worked. Having such a rapport with and respect for the professionals in his business, it would seem only natural for him to add the actor-director hyphenate, and he set out to try his hand, helming the feature "Keeping the Faith" (2000), and starring along with fellow actor-director Ben Stiller. In the film, Norton and Stiller respectively played a Catholic priest and a rabbi who fall in love with the same woman. Norton next co-starred with Robert De Niro in "The Score" (2001) where he played a young con man. He appeared with his girlfriend Salma Hayek in "Frida" (2002) and had starring roles in both "Red Dragon" (2002) the prequel to "Silence Of The Lambs" (1991) as well as Spike Lee's crime drama "The 25th Hour" (2002). In 2002, he starred as FBI profiler Will Graham in Brett Ratner's Red Dragon and in Spike Lee's 25th Hour, as a drug dealer living his last night before going to prison. While Red Dragon received mixed reviews, it was commercially successful. 25th Hour was praised by critics, particularly for its examination of a post 9-11 New York City, but failed to break even. He played himself in a cameo role in the experimental comedy show Stella, and won critical acclaim for his role as the leper king of Jerusalem in Kingdom of Heaven. In 2006, he starred in the independent movie The Illusionist, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and later became a sleeper hit when it went on general release. Norton has also done uncredited script work on some of the films he has appeared in, specifically Frida and The Score. In 2000, he made his debut as a director with Keeping the Faith. He will also direct his film adaptation of the novel Motherless Brooklyn. On April 16, 2007, it was confirmed that Norton will play the role of Bruce Banner in the upcoming movie adaptation of the Incredible Hulk, to be released in 2008. A consistently first-rate actor who has impressed audiences and critics alike in a disparate array of roles since his film debut, Edward Norton hit the big screen with a scene-stealing turn in 1996's legal thriller "Primal Fear". Remarkably thoughtful and articulate, the Yale educated Norton shied away from disclosing personal information to the press, but when discussing his work proved a fascinating interview subject. His renowned reticence served his debut film well, fooling the casting agents for "Primal Fear" and landing the role of the schizoid Southerner by affecting an accent (reportedly perfected by repeated viewings of 1980's "Coal Miner's Daughter") and inventing a Kentucky birthplace. An unknown to movie audiences, the young actor's anonymity made his performance as the altar boy turned killer all the more riveting and believable. His shining work in the compelling if uneven film earned him a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination. That same year, he gave two other acclaimed supporting performances portraying attorneys. In Woody Allen's curious musical "Everyone Says I Love You", Norton was featured as Drew Barrymore's prepster love interest. The appealing actor proved a competent comedic actor, even pulling off his unexpected singing quite well. Norton rounded out the year with another skillful performance as lawyer Alan Isaacman in Milos Forman's biopic "The People vs. Larry Flynt". Sincere and likable in this film in what may be described as a slightly innocuous role, his next work would be a definite departure. After adding 30 pounds of sculpted muscle to his formerly reed-like frame and shearing off his medium brown hair, Norton transformed his boy next door look into a monstrous skinhead powerhouse for his starring debut as a brilliant and startlingly violent white supremacist in the controversy plagued "American History X" (1998). Playing Derek Vinyard, a dynamic young leader of a neo-Nazi movement, Norton took the viewer on a journey through the character's evil acts, his realization and regret, and his horror that the legacy of his desperate hate had been passed on to an adoring younger brother (Edward Furlong). Norton uncovered a character who, despite his deplorable rhetoric and shocking actions, is more human than evil, an even scarier force to comprehend. The buzz surrounding the film (centered on the bizarre antics of fledgling feature director Tony Kaye) threatened to overshadow the power of Norton's performance. Demanding that his name be taken off of the credits, and accusing Norton of editing the film to serve his own narcissistic purposes, Kaye, a British commercial director and self-described 'hype artist', may have tainted the film's reception, but his protestations were unable to drown out Norton's undeniable accomplishment in a performance that earned his second Oscar nomination, this time in the Best Actor race. Also in 1998, Norton turned in another in a series of excellent performances, as Worm, the aptly named slimy poker ace in "Rounders". Fresh out of prison and down on his luck, Worm enlists the help of a friend (Matt Damon) who has given up the underground gambling life to attend law school. Norton's fast-talking con man all but takes over the movie, injecting plenty of spark into John Dahl's visually arresting but somewhat predictable atmospheric piece. Next up for Norton was the drama "Fight Club" (1999), starring alongside Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter in a strange tale of self-help group dependence and underground violent secret societies. While now well-known for his film work, Norton started out with a prestigious stage career that began in his childhood, making his professional debut at age eight in a dinner theater production of "Annie Get Your Gun". Work in "Pippin", "Peter Pan" and "Godspell" followed. While attending Yale as a history major, Norton also performed on the university's stage. A move to New York led to some off-off-Broadway work and he later caught the attention of legendary playwright Edward Albee, who was so impressed with the young actor that he cast him in a sought after role in the premiere of his play "Fragments" in 1994. Engaging and uniquely well-spoken, displaying little of the Hollywood attitude that all-too-often accompanies actors capable of his intensity, Norton has in fact consistently praised the actors and directors with whom he has worked. Having such a rapport with and respect for the professionals in his business, it would seem only natural for him to add the actor-director hyphenate, and he set out to try his hand, helming the feature "Keeping the Faith" (2000), and starring along with fellow actor-director Ben Stiller. In the film, Norton and Stiller respectively played a Catholic priest and a rabbi who fall in love with the same woman. Norton next co-starred with Robert De Niro in "The Score" (2001) where he played a young con man. He appeared with his girlfriend Salma Hayek in "Frida" (2002) and had starring roles in both "Red Dragon" (2002) the prequel to "Silence Of The Lambs" (1991) as well as Spike Lee's crime drama "The 25th Hour" (2002). In 2003, Norton was seen in the remake of the classic 60s heist feature "The Italian Job," which also co-starred Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron and had Norton breezing through yet another now-familiar, unchallenging role as a dangerous wolf in sheep's clothing. He next played King Baldwin the Leper in “Kingdom of Heaven” (2005), Ridley Scott’s historical epic taking place in the relative calm between the 2nd and 3rd Crusades of the 12th century. Norton is generally known for his reluctance to embrace his celebrity status, and has said, "If I ever have to stop taking the subway, I'm gonna have a heart attack." Norton has stated in interviews that he is a fan of the Baltimore Orioles. He was involved in many of Cal Ripken Jr.'s retirement activities in 2001 when Norton was asked to be a part of Ripken's biography for MLB. He attended Ripken's ceremony at the Hall of Fame in July 2007. Norton has a private pilot license and discussed his flight training when interviewed on an episode of The Late Show with David Letterman. Norton was a strong supporter of former New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer. Norton is a member of the trustees of the Enterprise Foundation, a non-profit developer of affordable housing. He is also well-known for his support for environmental causes and renewable energy projects, such as BP's Solar Neighbors program. He has also put time and money toward social activist causes, including improving the quality of living in low-income communities. Norton dated Courtney Love from 1996 to 1999, and actress Salma Hayek between 1999 and 2003. He had broken engagements with both women. Norton is 6 feet (1.8 m) tall, according to his interview on "The Daily Show.", As of 2008, his partner is Shauna Robertson, producer of Knocked Up and the 40 Year Old Virgin. They started dating in the Fall of 2006. |
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